Blue Devils camp report: Part 6

DURHAM – Most football coaches want to see balance when their team gets into the first scrimmage of fall camp, so Duke’s coaches were likely pleased with Sunday afternoon’s showing.

The Blue Devils’ offense and defense took turns making standout plays during the team’s scrimmage Sunday afternoon at Wallace Wade Stadium.

“I think it was kind of balanced, both sides had their flashes,” fourth-year center Jacob Monk said.

(you’ll note a change there: Monk has been playing center lately after spending the last three seasons at Duke playing tackle and guard.)

The first series of the scrimmage saw a Riley Leonard-led drive get to about the 10-yard line before stalling, with Joshua Pickett making a strong stop on a run by Jaquez Moore. Charlie Ham made a chip shot field goal.

The second series, with Henry Belin IV at quarterback, was a touchdown drive. Jordan Waters capped off the drive with a 1-yard run, but it was a throw against his body by Belin to Jontavis Robertson for about 30 yards and some strong runs by Terry Moore that set up the score.

Duke’s defense stepped up and forced three-and-outs on the next two possessions – first holding strong against three straight runs, and then by getting second- and third-down sacks by Aeneas Peebles and Dorian Mausi, respectively.

“We’re taking the right steps,” junior safety Jaylen Stinson said. “We’re not where we want to be but we’re in the right route and you can tell our guys are buying in, we’re moving in the right direction towards the season opener.”

That opener against Temple is less than three weeks away (Sept. 2), and the Blue Devils will have one more scrimmage before entering game preparations.

Based on week-to-week improvements, it’s encouraging that Duke’s defense gets more time to address some things.

Stinson said there were “technical” mistakes last weekend, perhaps because of so many newcomers in the secondary, and that Sunday’s scrimmage was a good barometer of how much had been addressed.

“As far as last weekend, I feel like we fixed the mistakes we made from last week,” Stinson said. “But we still need to take a few more steps.”

The Blue Devils’ defense allowed two more touchdowns – a Belin pass to Andrew Jones and a scramble by Jordan Moore, whose usage is explained below.

Peebles had another sack later in the scrimmage – though it should be noted that quarterbacks were down by touch, while live-tackle rules applied for other players.

“First scrimmage of the year, felt amazing being out there,” Monk said. “It felt like a game-like situation. And I think that tempo was really good for us.”

Here were my observations during Duke’s 11th practice and first scrimmage of fall camp:

Equipment: Full pads.

Was today won by the offense, defense or neither: Neither

As explained above, this seemed to be about as down the middle as scrimmages get.

We’ll get a chance to confirm this theory Tuesday, when coach Mike Elko is scheduled to talk with the media.

The Blue Devils don’t practice on Monday, and giving Elko close to 48 hours to digest the scrimmage and film should lead to plenty of critical evaluation.

Catch of the day: Eli Pancol

Pancol made a great leaping catch over Pickett on a no-no-no-no-yes ball from Jordan Moore on a third-and-1.

Moore, having spent the first half of the scrimmage in a blue jersey and playing receiver, switched to QB and this was his first series. This was third-and-short from midfield so it was a little startling to see him throw a deep ball to the sideline for Pancol, but the fourth-year receiver made an acrobatic play to grab the ball from behind Pickett, who was in good coverage.

It was a “Moss’d” moment for Pancol, who’s been no stranger to making highlight plays in fall camp but has also shown some inconsistency.

Jones had a nice catch over the middle with outstretched hands that looked like he brought in with his fingertips – but it was a pass that probably falls incomplete against an actual opponent, and against a safety who isn’t worried about protecting a teammate.

Scrimmages help prepare teams for the season – they aren’t 100% realistic situations, though.

Quote of the day: “Damn right we’re going to play in the rain.” – Trooper Taylor

The context here is that a few sprinklers inadvertently came on during some warm-up drills, before the scrimmage portion had even begun. While everybody was caught off guard, the running backs coach made sure his group knew they weren’t going to pause their drill.

The sprinklers were quickly turned off.

Freshman/newcomer of the day: Darius Joiner, transfer safety

It can’t be overstated: Joiner has just shown a knack for making plays. At this point there’s no reason to think that won’t carry into the season.

The Western Illinois transfer had two notable third-down stops – one of them a hard hit on Jaquez Moore for a 1-yard gain on third-and-5, another a snuffed-out shovel pass to Pancol on the goal line.

Count Stinson among those who are happy with Joiner’s arrival and impact so far.

“He’s from Alabama so, you know, the guys from Alabama, they’re going to bring it with them,” said Stinson, who’s from Opelika, Ala. “He’s a real playmaker and he’s been a good contributor to our safeties.”

Freshman cornerback Chandler Rivers gets a shoutout here, too, as he had great position on a slant and should’ve been rewarded with an interception of Henry Belin IV.

News of the day: Scrimmage, sprinklers and what color jersey Jordan Moore was wearing … what else do you need?

I’ll throw in some interception notes from the end of practice: James Hopson II had one that went through the hands of freshman tight end Jake Taylor, and Da’Quan Johnson snagged a Hail Mary.

It’s also worth noting that linebacker Cam Dillon, a grad transfer from Columbia, looks like he could be a contributor. I think if you were picking one position group on each side of the ball that has depth, it’d be running backs and linebackers.